The Storm
by dev.daily
Summary: Fitzgerald Grant is a writer who has lost his spark. When he meets wedding planner Olivia Pope, it is anything but love at first sight, in fact they hate each other. Olivia's feisty attitude doesn't mix well with Fitz's cynical know-it-all nature and she soon becomes the storm that turns his life on it's side.
1. The Meeting

He could barely remember what it was like to have inspiration. There were times where he could see a single balloon floating in the sky and write an entire novel off of a story that he attached to it. He recalled the way it used to be so easy. It was all so effortless and he longed for that to return. He wanted the ease of words flowing through him without the struggle of forcing himself to sit and push out mediocre ideas.

Fitzgerald Grant was a writer. He'd gotten his start writing for a small Seattle newspaper as the wedding columnist. Fitz, as his close acquaintances called him, was no one's romantic. Using one word to describe him, cynic actually fit to a tee. However, the job paid enough for him to live comfortably, meaning that until he could weasel his way out of the position, he'd have to continue interviewing lovesick couples and putting on a brave face while watching drunk aunts and uncles attempt to do the "Cupid Shuffle." Fitz's true passion, however, was fiction. His first novel was crap, a realization he'd come to terms with it after it had been rejected from countless publishers, when it was much too late. Now, he chalked it up to a learning experience.

Fitz glanced down at the time in the corner of his laptop screen. He had forty-five minutes until he had to do the interview for the couple he was writing on this week. He had been sitting in the small cafe for over two hours and his word document was still blank, the blinking cursor taunting him to put words on the page. Reluctantly, he closed the computer and began packing his things to head across the city.

As he was leaving the coffee shop, his focus was on his phone dialing his photographer to make sure he was on time to the shoot. Fitz bumped into a much smaller figure, sending the other person into the doorway. He reached out to grab whomever it was that he bumped, only to receive one of the coldest glares he'd ever seen. The woman pointed a manicured finger at him, keeping him at bay.

"I know the air might be a little thinner up, but try to pay attention. Walking through a door isn't rocket science, pretty boy." She told him, looking up through her blunt bangs, before rolling her eyes and walking into the shop.

Fitz stood in the doorway, taken aback, before shaking himself off and finishing dialing the number of photographer, Grayson. If he wasn't already in a shitty mood, he sure was now. He got into his car, fuming from his encounter and not in the mood to conduct an interview. Every couple that wanted a feature was pretentious and cookie cutter. They'd say that they met in college because she was in a sorority and he was in a frat. There would be a cheesy proposal story and they'd take pictures by a pond. It was routine and if there wasn't so much money in it, Fitz would have quit a long time ago.

/ / / / / / / / / / /

"Well, I was in Delta Gamma and he was in Delta Chi. Y'know what they say, 'No matter the letter, Greeks do it better.', so we were bound to fall in love." Ashten, the bride exclaimed. Fitz nodded, feigning interest. "And we had the same Public Speaking class and from there everything was history." Sean, the groom, chimed in.

"If you would have told me freshman year that I was gonna marry the guy who always came into class hungover in pajama pants, I would have never believed you." Ashten giggled, looking lovingly over at her snapped a picture, capturing the candid moment. Just as Sean was about to start talking, the sound of heels filled the room.

"That must be Liv!" Ashten jumped up, facing the doorway. She turned toward Fitz to clue him in. "Liv's our wedding planner. She's a magician and a goddess all wrapped into one."

Olivia smirked walking through the door, hearing her praises being sung. "I'm just a normal person, Ms. Pierce. You're being dramatic."

"Olivia, you've pulled so many strings! Our weddings going to be perfect, all because of you. And I told you to call me Ashten! " Olivia waved her hand, as if she was pushing the idea from the air. She turned toward the interviewer and photographer to introduce herself. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, but she maintained her composure and stayed professional.

"I'm Olivia Pope, we spoke on the phone." She told him, shaking his much larger hand. "I've heard nothing but good things about your work." Olivia moved on shaking Grayson's hand. "I expect that half of the state of Washington will be jealous of my bride." Olivia told them, before going to stand in the corner and look over her checklists on her tablet. She was listening on and off to the interview, but it was all so repetitive to her. Every couple had the same story or some variation of it.

She'd been planning weddings for two and a half years, but she had yet to meet a single couple that stood out from all the others. It was as if there was a factory manufacturing these men and women to eventually seek her help planning their wedding. Olivia rolled her eyes at their typical and predictable responses. Yet, she'd smile in the pictures she was asked to join and force tears as they twirled around the dancefloor to John Legend's "All of Me," just as she had for her last seven weddings. She had mastered the act after her second wedding.

Olivia was confirming the floral arrangements when she heard her name mentioned. "I'm just going to ask Ms. Pope a few questions and Grayson will handle your photos." Fitz told the couple as he turned toward Olivia. "Ms. Pope, do you mind answering a couple questions? I like to get the planner's point of view for a few questions."

She nodded, closing her tablet. Sitting next to her, Fitz finally got a better look at Olivia Pope. Her face was much softer than her personality would have lead him to believe. Her doe eyes and soft pout made her look more like a doll, than the pitbull persona she had. Her hair, except for the bangs, was pulled tightly into a bun that added height to her short frame. Fitz finally pulled his gaze from her and looked down at his questions, reading from the list he had for the planners. "So, what made Sean and Ashten stand out to you?"

Olivia sighed, reciting one her memorized lines, "Well, they're just so genuinely in love. I meet a lot of couples who want weddings that will make their friends jealous. I meet people who just want gifts and tax cuts. They weren't like that, Ashten was fine with going to courthouse but Sean didn't want her to regret not having a real wedding. A love like theirs is rare…"

Fitz and Olivia continued the interview for fifteen more minutes, each answer more rehearsed than the previous. Once they'd finished, Fitz found himself staring at her once again. "Can I ask you one more question, off the record?" He questioned.

Olivia rolled her eyes once again, looking over her shoulder at Fitz. "I'm not going on a date with you."

"That wasn't my question but thanks for the boost in confidence." Fitz mumbled, holding the door open for her. "I was going to ask why you became a wedding planner? You rolled your eyes so many times I lost count, the answers when I asked you questions- they were just off. I don't know. It just doesn't seem like you really care for weddings or the couples you're planning for."

Olivia stopped and stared at him. "What it seems like to you doesn't matter. You're writing a story on the couple, not on how you think I feel about my job." She told him, boldly, before storming off. She got into her car and sped off before he got the chance to apologize or elaborate on his comments.

Left standing in the parking lot, Fitz was unsure of what just happened. He walked to his car trying to process his afternoon. From his initial run in with Olivia to her abrupt exit, he had not expected his day to go as it had. He was, however, interested in knowing more about Olivia. Ever since he was a child, Fitz had been intuitive and nosy (one of the reasons he'd become a journalist) and he wanted to figure her out. She was like a puzzle to him and from what he picked up on, there was much more to her than she let on.

"It's insane that people would want to devote their life to women when they act as crazy as she did." He mumbled, driving toward his home.

/ / / / / / / / / / /

The next morning as Fitz sat with his cup of coffee, his mind kept going back to the dream that he'd had the night before. In his dream, there had been a small town full of people living their lives as they normally did. Mothers and fathers dropped their children off at school and went to work, only for an unexpected storm to turn their town on its side. All of a sudden, Fitz found himself at his desk. Ideas and phrases were flowing from him faster than he could record them. From what he jotted down, it was a hurricane that destroyed the town. Not only was the physical changed, but the town's attitudes would begin to change.

He couldn't tell where the idea was coming from, but the ideas for a premise were flowing freely. Fitz didn't want to question it, so he just wrote everything that came to his brain before the moment was gone. There were no details yet. He hadn't decided on the name or location of the town, the time of year or the specifics of the individuals he'd focus on. Fitz did know one detail, one that he couldn't seem to shake; the hurricane's name. For some reason, it had to be named after a woman and only one name stuck out to him: Olivia.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This is my first Scandal fic, so I hope y'all enjoy it. This was just a short intro chapter, future chapters will be longer! Love ya,_  
><em> -dev!<em>


	2. The Bitch & the Smug Asshole

Had she actually worn white to someone else's wedding? Was she really that full of herself? The wedding hadn't started yet, but Fitz was already on duty. He'd taken in his surroundings the second he stepped in the ceremony space. Everything from the decorations to the guests came together to help him write on the overall experience of the wedding. No matter how many times he scanned the venue, his eyes always fell on Olivia. She stood at the door of the room, an earpiece attached to her right side.

Her hair was down today and she had more makeup on than she had when they'd met, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Olivia was wearing a white pantsuit and Fitz had been to enough weddings to know that that was damn near against the law. She did look pretty good, Fitz had to admit.

"She's pretty sexy, isn't she?" Grayson whispered from beside Fitz, nodding his head in Olivia's direction. "I'm gonna get her number."

Fitz scoffed, rolling his eyes at Grayson. "She's alright. I've seen better. And besides, no one comes to weddings to get numbers. They come to have sex with one of the depressed single bitches that are jealous of the bride."

Grayson shrugged, looking back at Olivia one more time. "You might do that, but not everyone on Earth has some crazy vendetta against actually dating someone."

"Ha ha." Fitz mocked him sarcastically, before turning and facing the front. "Just make sure there are pictures of people other than the wedding planner."

The ceremony was short, a quality Fitz admired in a wedding. He'd always thought that there was something a bit conceited about making a room full of family and friends sit and listen to a couple profess how much they loved each other. Weddings in general were nothing more than a pissing contest, in his opinion. Yet the American public had an obsession with them and they were his form of income, so those thoughts stayed private.

/

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief as Ashten and Sean walked down the aisle together, for the first time as man and wife. The ceremony had gone perfectly according to plan. The ringbearer, Ashten's nephew, tripped walking down the aisle and had to be carried the rest of the way- adding the perfect amount of accident without anything actually going awry. They had successfully made it through the first half of the day without error and without a meltdown.

Now, they simply had to make it through the first dance, speeches, and garter/bouquet tosses. The rest of the night would pass with ease. Olivia made sure that the ushers were set to direct the guests to where the cocktail hour room was, before jetting out of the door to follow the bride and groom to their photo session. They only had a short amount of time before they needed to be back for the reception and Ashten had a dress change.

She texted her assistant, ensuring that cocktail hour was going according to plan before focusing her attention to the photoshoot. She had never had a wedding that didn't go according to her plan and she planned on keeping her record intact. For some reason, she felt like she had something to prove to the writer. She'd seen him eyeing her at the ceremony, but she didn't acknowledge him. He was a smug asshole and the last thing she needed was to get worked up around him and lose her cool while working.

/

"Liv! Liv! Livlivliv…" A slightly inebriated Ashten shrieked, running up to her from across the room. "Let loose, girl! You did an ahhh-mazing job planning the wedding but you're job is done! Siddown, eat some dinner, get drunk, dance! It's a wedding not a funeral, get off the wall." She told her, slurring her way through the statement before pushing her in the direction of table 7.

Being that she had made the seating chart, Olivia knew that it was filled with Sean' frat brothers and an extra guest that apparently did not bring a plus one. As she got closer, she saw that Fitzgerald was settled next to the only open chair at the circular table. If she didn't want to keep an eye on things, she would have just gone home. However, that was not an option for Olivia.

Composing herself, she made her way to the table. "How's everything?" She questioned, standing in front of the guests without the nerve to join them. Fitz was looking her up and down again, but she scanned past him avoiding his gaze.

Fitz had no clue why he was so intrigued by her, but he was. He could tell that she was dynamic and enigmatic and he wanted to know more. As he gave her the once over, it clicked in his head. She was the inspiration. She was his mojo. "Are you going to sit, Ms Pope?" He questioned, innocently.

She appeared taken aback, but she didn't falter. Olivia held her hand out, shaking her head. "No, just checking in." She told them with a smile, before she turned to walk away. Ashten, however, was right behind her. "On second thought, I guess I will be joining you all." She said, turning on her heels and making her way to the empty chair.

Fitz pulled the seat out for her. He might not have believed in love, but he'd pretended to be a gentlemen to get women into bed countless times. He was pulling out the stops to get onto Olivia's good side tonight. If being in her presence meant that he'd keep his writing mojo, they were going to get to know one another. Her face was one of distrust and skepticism; her personality and behaviors may have been complex, but her feelings toward him were written plain on her face.

He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly feeling weak under her gaze. Fitz swallowed, nervously before taking a gulp of his wine. Being that she was a wedding pro, the conversation flowed easily once Olivia joined the table. It was a different story for Fitz. He, too, had been his fair share of weddings but he found himself mute in Olivia's presence. From the second she sat down, she commanded all of the attention from the guests seated at the table.

The men were captivated by her conversation and the women didn't seem to be mad because they were hanging onto every word she said. The entire table was enthralled until the opening of Kanye West's "Gold Digger" started to play and they all quickly made their way to the dance floor. Fitz and Olivia were left at the table by themselves. She checked her phone to see if the event was close to over.

Deciding that it was close enough to midnight and that her job was done, she broke one of her rules and drank from her glass of wine. It was something she never did because it was unprofessional... and she was a lightweight. Two glasses of wine and she'd be done, so she settled on taking a sip.

Fitz cleared his throat from his seat next to her. "It was pretty bold of you to wear white to someone else's wedding."

She disregarded her previous thoughts and downed the rest of her wine, turning to look at him. "Do me a favor," She told him, staring directly into his eyes and making him feel weak once again. "Look at the bridal party and tell me what color they're wearing." She waited for a moment, while Fitz looked around the room.

"Champagne; Ashten asked me to wear this color. Now, explain to me how it's your job to pick up on the details of this wedding, but you didn't pick up on that? You didn't even notice the colors but you're the best wedding columnist in Seattle? I'd hate to see what the rest of them are writing if you're the best this city has to offer. What am I even paying you for? Or am I just the way to a one night stand, I get you into the wedding and you start scoping out some desperate woman to take back to your place tonight?"

Olivia kept her gaze, daring him to respond but Fitz stayed silent. His mind was moving a mile a minute. He didn't know how to react or why he wasn't necessarily angry that she'd just put him in his place. She really was a storm and Fitz was beginning to realize that he may just have a liking for the rain. He hated to admit it, but there was something about her attitude and quick wit that turned him on.

/

It was well past one in the morning when Fitz checked his phone. He'd been sitting in the lobby of the hotel that held the wedding chatting with Nina, a woman he'd met at the reception. By the time he'd left, there was slim pickings of women and even more had gone home since. Fitz could tell that she'd be a good lay, but her voice was so high pitched, she was pretty much Elmo with tits. He decided that nothing was going to happen between them and stood up in the middle of her talking.

"Y'know Natalie…" he started.

"Nina. My name's Nina."

"Yeah, okay. Well, it's been nice talking but it's just not happening for me. So I hope you have a good night." He mumbled, awkwardly before making his way toward the bar on the other side of the lobby. Walking into the dimly lit room, Fitz made his way to the bar. He leaned against a stool and waited for the bartender to come over to him.

The tall blonde bartender made her way over to where Fitz stood, smirking as she approached him. "What can I get you, tall, dark, and sexy?" She questioned, leaning over the bar and pushing her cleavage together.

Fitz glanced over her, taking in her height and pixie cut, quickly deciding that she wasn't his type. "I'll take whatever dark beer you got on tap." He told her, tossing a twenty dollar bill down. Fitz turned around and surveyed the room while he waited on his beer.

"If it isn't Pretty Boy Fitzgerald." A voice beside him said. He turned and saw that Olivia was situated on the stool right next to him. He didn't know he'd overlooked her, but he had. "Couldn't find a slut to take back home with you?" She questioned adding a fake frown, before she laughed at her own joke.

She was fully aware that she was tipsy- not drunk, but she definitely wasn't sober. She knew that, but Fitz had no clue, so he took her comments as her being bitchy.

"Well," He began, taking a sip of his beer. "Due to the fact that you're sitting here alone, it's pretty obvious that you're spending your night alone, too. I guess when you're a bitch, you don't have anyone waiting at home for you."

"Fuck you!" She hissed, pointing her finger in his face. "All you've done since I met you is make smug comments and I'm the bitch?! You're an egotistical asshole."

Fitz swatted her hand from his face. "Every fucking conversation we have ends with you screaming, what am I supposed to call you besides a bitch?"

"Nothing, don't call me anything because after tonight we won't see each other ever again."

Fitz downed the rest of his beer and stood up to leave. He stood over Olivia's shoulder with his mouth next to her ear, ready to have the final word. "And even then, that doesn't change to fact that you're a raging bitch."

Olivia turned her head quickly, ready to respond but she was met with something else. Fitz caught her lips in his and wasted no time initiating feverish kiss. He hated coming to weddings and leaving without a woman and she was turning him on. So, the way Fitz saw it, he had no choice but to kiss her.

She turned on her stool at first, matching his intensity and kissing back with the same power. She liked it , but that was before she came to her senses. As Fitz was trying to push his tongue into her mouth, Olivia shoved him away. She squinted, staring at him as if he had three heads. "What the fuck was that?"

He smirked, still standing at a dangerously close distance. "Something to stop you from being an uptight bitch."

She scoffed. "I'm not uptight."

"Then why'd you stop?" Fitz challenged.

"I pushed you away, Fitzgerald, because I don't even know you and I already don't like you. The kiss was weak." She lied and they both knew it.

Her attitude had definitely been a turn on. And now Olivia pretending that she wasn't turned on in the slightest bit was making him want her even more. He'd planned on bagging someone from the wedding, but he hadn't planned on it being Olivia; especially after their failed interaction days earlier. That had changed and Fitz now wanted nothing more than to have his way with Olivia.

He kissed down her neck from his place behind her, mumbling in her ear. "I think that you're trying to convince yourself more than you're trying to convince me."

She didn't know whether it was the alcohol or the fact that it'd been nearly seven months since she'd gotten any, but Olivia Pope was seriously considering Fitz' musings. his lips found their way to a spot behind her ear that clouded her thinking completely.

He stopped kissing her neck, but stayed too close to her neck. Olivia, surprisingly, missed the feeling of his lips on her when she couldn't feel his movements anymore. Weighing the pros and cons in her foggy state, Olivia decided that there was no other option but to have sex with. She stood from her stool and turned slowly, not expecting the lustful gaze she received. Olivia stepped closer to him, standing on her tiptoes. "Room 702." She whispered in his ear, while slipping her spare keycard into his back pocket.

/

The second that Fitz stepped into Olivia's room, she was pinned against the wall. Their lips found each other in the dimly lit room and it wasn't long before Fitz' hands were fumbling with the zipper on Olivia's pants. He'd barely had the button undone and the zipper down when he shoved his hand down the front of her creme pants. He groaned into her mouth, feeling her through the lace underwear she was wearing. "Shit! You're already so fucking wet." He mumbled, starting to push her pants down.

Olivia didn't like the fact that Fitz was dominating their interaction and flipped them around, wanting to reestablish her power. With Fitz' back against the wall, Olivia ripped his shirt open, sending buttons flying all across the room. This was not making love- it was sex, strictly sex.

Fitz flipped them back around, pushing Olivia's pants down in one quick motion. He used one hand to pin her arms above her head and the other to hold her head in place. 'Not tonight, princess." He murmured, trailing his tongue up her neck toward her ear. Dropping to his knees, Fitz pulled down Olivia's now soaking panties and ran his fingers along her folds. He made eye contact with Olivia, who was shivering with desire before he attached his mouth to core.

Olivia's knees were instantly weak and if it weren't for Fitz' hands on her waist she would have been on the ground to. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or the fact that she was literally riding someone's face, but she had never felt this type of pleasure and she could tell that she was in for a long night.

/

Olivia let the hot water wash away any trace of the night she had; well the ones that water could remove. When she'd woken up that morning, Fitz was gone much to her surprise. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't slightly optimistic that they'd have a quick go in the morning but she was happy that they didn't have any awkward morning-after encounter.

When she stepped out of the shower, Olivia examined herself in the mirror. There were lovemarks splayed across her chest, stomach and thighs. Sighing to herself, she decided that she would require pants and a scarf for the day. She didn't regret what she'd done, but she was disappointed in herself. She'd never been a one night stand kind of girl, but Fitz clouded her judgement and made her do things she'd never do.

She quickly tossed on leggings and sweatshirt to head home in. Her consultation wasn't until later, so she was heading home to relax before she jumped into her next wedding. As she was leaving, she looked around the hotel room and couldn't help but feel guilty. Everything was strewn about and memories from the previous night flooded back to her.

"Sorry, mom" She whispered to herself, thinking how disappointed her mother would have been in her. She left quickly, vowing not to let a repeat of the night before happen.


	3. Dreams & Drinking

_We're about to get a little graphic, y'all. If you're not down with that, I'd skim the first few paragraphs, just throwing that out there. If you're a feelin freaky...enjoy! In the words of one of one of my reviewers, **kandyse4olitz**,__ "once Fitz get a taste of the Pope pussy he'll be back for more_"..._Hahaha_

_/_

"_Fitz, Fitz, Fitz…" Olivia moaned, pulling him up, so their lips could meet. While she was enjoying his tongue work, she was hungry for something else. Now at his full height, Fitz' hands immediately went to Olivia's ass, palming and gripping at it before lifting her up in the air. _

"_Bed or the couch?" Fitz grunted, nipping and licking any space that his lips could reach. _

_Olivia ran her nails down Fitz' back, leaving red marks in their trail. "Bed…couch… floor...fucking anywhere." She answered, breathily._

_Fitz walked as quickly as he could, considering his erection and the fact that he was carrying Olivia. He made his way to the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. Gazing down at Olivia's naked body, a new wave of lust came over him. With her back arched and her arms poised above her head, she was the sexiest thing that he'd ever seen. Leaning over her, Fitz trailed kisses from Olivia's mouth to belly button, before dipping his tongue inside it. _

_Olivia reached down in between them, raking her hands through his chest hair. She continued going lower until her hand reach Fitz' hard sat up a bit, taking a look at what he was working with. Pleasantly surprised, she smirked as she started to stroke his length. Fitz groaned in response, reattaching his lips to hers and giving her the most passionate, lip bruising kiss she'd ever experience. _

_Getting closer to the edge, Fitz decided to take control again. His large hands grasped her hips and flipped her over with ease. He trailed kisses down her spine while pulling her ass up in the air toward him. Fitz needed to be inside her, but he decided to tease her just a bit more. He ran his finger up and down her folds, alternating between pushing a finger in her and flicking her clit every few passes. _

"_Fitz…" She cried out, in dier need of penetration._

"_Mmm?" He questioned, wanting her to say it. While he wanted nothing more than to fuck her senseless, he was definitely enjoying the view from behind. _

_She peeked over her shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. "Fuck me. Now."_

_He hadn't expected her to be that blunt and he decided that if she said more stuff like that, instead of her usual bitching, he might actually tolerate her. His dick was literally twitching with need and desire. Quickly and without warning, he buried his length in her, letting it stay there for a moment. She had the best ass he'd ever seen and it was taking all of his concentration not to end early. With his hand on the small of her back, Fitz began to pump. _

_A low guttural moan slipped from Olivia and he couldn't control himself. There was something about her that just pushed him and put him on edge. He looked over her shoulders to test how far he could push it. Her arm was in her mouth and her eyes were squeezed shut. Deciding to push her like she'd pushed him, he smacked her on her left ass cheek. When she didn't protest, he did it again._

"_Shit, Liv!" He kept smacking, switching between the left and the right cheek. "You're so fucking tight." He grunted out. _

_Fitz hunched over her, using his right hand to hold onto her breast and the other to hold him up. He sped up his thrusts, moving like a mad man. "Come for me, Liv. Come on my cock."_

"_I'm close...so close." She whimpered. It gave Fitz the final push that he needed and he came right then. The fact that he had the same women who'd been cussing him out, writhing and whimpering beneath him just caused him to release his load. _

_Feeling Fitz come so deep in her pussy, pushed Olivia. She, too, came undone. Panting and tired, Fitz rolled off of her. He laid down next to her, with his arm strewn over his head. He seemed like he needed a minute, but Olivia had other plans in mind. She sat up, crawling over toward him. _

_First, she paused to take him in. He might have been an asshole, but he was definitely a sex-god. From his abs to his dick and the magic that he worked with his tongue, Fitzgerald Grant had the skill to back up the shit he talked. Smirking, Olivia grabbed Fitz' semi-hard dick and began to stroke him back to life._

_She ran her thumb over the head, before licking a straight line up his shaft._

"_Dammit.." He groaned, losing his hand in her hair and pushing her mouth down over his cock. He lost sight of his dick the further down Olivia went, her eyes never leaving his._

_What was that sound? It sounded close, yet far away and Fitz couldn't exactly make out what it was. "Olivia…" He called, her head popping up. "Do you hear that? What's that sound?"_

"_Your alarm, dumbass. You need to get up." With those words, Olivia stood up and walked away. Her hips swaying with each step she took, leaving Fitz laying on the bed. _

"Wait...what?" Fitz groaned, putting his arm over his eyes. That was _not_ a dream, it _couldn't_ have been a dream. Slowly opening his eyes, Fitz saw that he was in fact laying in his own bedroom. The sound of his alarm clock was blaring in his ear and he had a dangerously large tent in his pants.

Turning off the alarm clock, Fitz made his way to the bathroom for another cold shower. It'd been nearly a week since his encounter with Olivia and she'd been in his dreams nightly. He relived their time together every night when he slept. The dream, however, was getting shorter and shorter every night.

With a sigh, Fitz got to work solving his own problem.

/

"Shhhh…" Olivia did her best job to hush her friend, Abby's, loud comments. She was currently at happy hour, unwinding after a long week of work. After keeping her night with Fitz a secret since she left the hotel and now that a few days had gone by, she was dying to tell someone.

"I'm sorry, Liv, but that is so not you. You're a Jeopardy watching type, not the sit on a random guy's face type." She said, twisting her face and turning her head to get a mental image. Abigail Whelan worked at Olivia's agency. She was pretty much Olivia's right hand and best friend. After being placed together as roommates their freshman year, the pair had been inseparable.

Olivia cupped her hand over Abby's mouth, looking around to make sure no one had heard her. "Can you please stop yelling that?! It's not something i want to advertise."

"Hell, I don't know why not. Maybe if guys knew you were such a freak, you'd be able to keep one." Abby mumbled, to herself. Despite the fact that Olivia wasn't always a fan, Abby was always honest with her.

Olivia rolled her eyes, taking a sip from her drink and looking around the restaurant they were in.

"Look, Liv, I know you have to hear it but it's true. You're kind of psycho when it comes to guys. Maybe you should be more go with the flow about it…"

"I'm not a psycho. I just know what I want and I'm not settling."

"You're afraid, Liv." Abby stated, matter of factly, flagging the bartender over to get another round. "You're scared of falling in love, so you act like you don't care. I've known you for too long, so don't try some bullshit excuse on me."

"Abby, you're being dramatic."

"No, I'm not. Tell me right now that you're not scared because of what happened with your dad. Tell me that you don't think about college every time a guy approaches. If you can look me in my eyes and say that, then I'll back off."

Olivia sighed, trying to find a way to respond that neither confirmed or denied her friend's suspicions. She took a drink to ready herself before speaking. "Yes, Abby, I'm scared. But I'm also content. I just-"

Abby cut her off, feeling like she'd cracked a code. "You're the biggest hopeless romantic I know! That's why you plan all of these lame ass weddings. Why can't you just give it another shot?"

"First of all, Abigail, my weddings are fucking amazing." She told her, jokingly. "And second, I'm a hopeless romantic, but I'm also a realist. Love isn't for everyone and with my track record, I'm one of the unlucky ones."

"Liv…" Abby stated, with a blank face looking over at her.

"Yeah, Abs?"

"That has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard you say! Stop dwelling on the past and stop all of that 'woe is me' bitterness. There's clearly something there with this writer; you let him get the Pope jewels."

"The Pope jewels, Abby?!" Olivia couldn't stop from cackling. "And sex and love are two different things. I can have sex anytime I want."

"Alright, then we'll forget him. But you're getting back out there, Liv. I actually have a guy in mind for you…" And with that, Abby pulled out her phone and began scrolling.

/

Fitz had spent his entire day at his laptop, typing away. He couldn't get his mind off of his night with Olivia, so he decided that he might as well write. After only two interactions, he had a surprisingly large amount of material. And after experiencing Olivia first hand, she was nothing short of a force to be reckoned with.

Glancing at the clock, Fitz saw that it was well past nine. He sighed, trying to figure out what was happening to him to make him sit at home on a Friday night. Deciding that he wasn't going to let a random lay with a woman he barely knew get the better of him, Fitz texted his friends. He was definitely in need of a night out.

Less than forty-five minutes later, Fitz had arrived at Atlantis. It was a strip club that Fitz and his friends went to when one of them needed a pick me up. They weren't regulars, but the dancers were definitely familiar with them and knew they tipped well.

As soon as he walked into the establishment, he was greeted by a chorus of "Fitz" from his friends who were seated at a table directly in front of the main stage. Alex, Damien, and Sean were waiting for him, their table already covered in beers.

"Fitzy!" Damien shouted once Fitz joined the group. He'd always the partier of the group and Fitz could tell he was already drunk. "What made ya call out the troops?"

The rest of the guys nodded in agreement, confirming their interest. So, Fitz began telling them about Olivia. He started with them bumping into each other and moved to the interview. When he got to the wedding, he didn't spare a detail. He even threw in the part about her inspiring his current project, despite the fact that he knew he'd get shit for it.

Fitz was known as the playboy of the group, so it was out of the ordinary for him to be the one bringing girl problems to the table. Sean, the only married member of the group of friends, spoke first. He was smirking, smugly. "Is Hugh Hefner finally ready to settle down. I always told you that you would want to join me."

"Alright, calm down. I don't want to marry the girl. I just want to stop thinking about her."

"Damn, the sex was that good?! She has your ass pussy-whipped?!" Damien chimed in again, laughing harder than he should have.

Alex shrugged, never peeling his eyes away from the girls on the stage. "You're not getting any younger. Maybe you should give her a chance...:"

"I'm only 28." Fitz mumbled, taking a long swig of his beer. "And she's a bitch. The only we had sex was so she'd shut the fuck up. I called you guys to get my mind off of her, not convince me to marry her."

Damien grinned, standing up. "I can get your mind off of her." He waved one of the scantily clad women over to their table. Slinging his arm over her shoulder, he started explaining the situation. "Our boy over here is stuck on some girl, can you get his mind off it?"

The blonde woman smiled, walking over and lowering herself onto Fitz' lap. Normally, he would have been into it. Her boobs were big and popping out of her bra, but her ass didn't compare to Liv's and her tan was obviously courtesy of a bottle. He took another gulp from his bottle, needing something to get him through the rest of the night.

/

It was nearly three in the morning when Fitz got home that night. Realizing that Olivia wouldn't stay off of his mind unless he had one more go at her, he went to sleep thinking up a scheme. However, across Seattle, Olivia went to sleep with her mind set on the possibility of a new relationship with the former coworker that Abby was setting her up with. Both were anticipating what was coming their way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I didn't edit this yet, so don't drag me y'all. And I honestly don't really like this chapter, but I needed it in there so whatever. lol Hope y'all enjoy. **

**P.S. She's not going on a date with Jake's annoying ass because he's not even worthy of eventually getting dumped...just to let everyone know.**


	4. An Interview and an Invitation

"Grant!" Fitz' boss called him into his office. "Explain this big idea that you emailed me about. You've got three minutes. Don't waste my time."

"Thank you for calling me in, sir." Fitz said, sitting opposite his boss. "There's this wedding planner that everyone is dying to have do their wedding. Her name's Olivia Pope and she's like the Steven Spielberg of weddings/ She's booked for the rest of the year and women are literally bidding to get into her schedule at the beginning of next year. She's pretty much owns the Seattle wedding business."

"Get to the point, Grant."

"I want to do a story on her. You know, get to know the person behind the business."

"Get her to agree and have the story on my desk three weeks from today. If it's good, it'll run. If not, you'll be doing the macarena at receptions from now until you're 80."

"Believe me, you'll run it." Fitz said, getting up and leaving his office. "Thank you, sir."

Fitz walked into the main office, smiling from ear to ear. He walked to Rita, the secretary's, desk and slid Olivia's business number toward her. "Can you call Ms. Pope and let her know that we're interesting in doing a piece on her, please? Explain that it will focus more on her and her process, instead of a specific wedding. The story goes up in less than a month. Do whatever it takes to land the interview." Fitz winked at Rita, making his way toward his cubicle.

He stopped halfway there, quickly turning back toward Rita. She was still dialling. "And Rita? Leave out the fact that I'm the writer. Thanks!"

/

"Olivia, there's a call on line two. It's a woman from The Seattle Times. She wishes to speak to you directly."

"Thanks, Kat!" Olivia called, closing her laptop and picking up the creme receiver of the telephone in her office.

"Truly Yours, Wedding and Event Planning. Olivia Pope, speaking." She said, wanting the conversation to go as quickly as possible.

"Hello Ms. Pope, my name is Rita Villanueva. I'm calling from The Seattle Times in regards to an article that were are looking to start."

Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Thank you for the interest. However, I don't give out tips or how-to's."

"Oh no, Ms. Pope. We would like to do an article on you. Less about the weddings you plan, more about the person planning." Rita explained, pleasantly.

"What would that entail?"

"A one-on-one interview and just a day in the life aspect. You know, just kind of observing what it's like to be the infamous wedding magician, Olivia Pope."

Olivia mulled it over. She didn't really like the attention, but what would be the harm. "Um..Ms. Villanueva? When do you need my response?"

Rita thought back to what Fitz had told her, doing whatever it takes. "Well, we're looking to run the story as early as the end of this month. So, we'd really appreciate you letting us know as soon as possible. We're extremely interested in the story, Ms. Pope."

"Can the interview take place tomorrow?" There was no harm in doing the interview and having a story published. Olivia figured that she'd worked her ass off and she might as well get some recognition for it.

Rita smirked, pulling up Fitz' schedule. He had a free space tomorrow. "Does 2 o'clock work for you Ms. Pope? At Aroma's Coffee Shop?"

Olivia went through a similar process, skimming her agenda for the next day. She saw that she had a cake tasting with a client, but she decided that one of her consultants could handle it. "Yes, 2 is fine. I'll see you then, Ms. Villanueva."

"Oh, Ms. Pope I'm not-" But Olivia had already hung up.

/

Fitz smirked to himself as he sat in a large leather chair in the back of the coffee shop. It was 1:57 and he'd already been there for twenty minutes, wanting to make sure that he got there before Olivia. He was sipping from a mug of tea and looking over the questions he was going to ask Olivia. The sound of the chimes on the door filled the small bistro, indicating that someone had just walked in. Fitz glanced up, his eyes landing on Olivia.

He watched for a moment as her eyes scanned the room. She pulled her phone out of the large bag that she carried; Fitz assumed she was looking at the time. Her eyes scanned the room once more before she went to the counter and ordered a drink. Deciding to break the news to her, Fitz made his way to the counter where she was standing.

"I do believe I'm supposed to be interviewing you." Olivia heard a voice say from behind her. Turning around, she was greeted with the one person that she'd hoped she'd never see again.

"I do believe you're mistaken." Olivia quickly replied, not wanting to interact with him in the slightest.

His usual smug look graced his face once again. "Let me rephrase that. "Fitzgerald Grant, The Seattle Times." He said, extending his hand for her to shake. "I'm here to do a story on Olivia Pope. I know for a fact that that's you because that's what I whispered in your ear while I hit it from beh-."

"Mr. Grant! I didn't agree to do an interview with a kinky stalker. I spoke to a woman on the phone."

"Oh, Rita? She's twenty and still in college. She's also an unpaid intern who makes calls and brings me Chipotle. You want her to write your story?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, taking a long sip from her mug. "Look, I agreed to do this interview and I honor commitments. You have thirty minutes to ask me whatever questions you need to write your little story. You can visit the office tomorrow at eight sharp. After that, I don't want to see or hear from you. Do you understand? No contact."

"We're both in the wedding business. That'll be pretty hard to do, don't you think?"

"I will leave right now if you don't agree. I'm not the one who needs this story." Olivia said, pointing her finger accusingly at Fitz.

Fitz held his hands up in surrender, taking two steps back. "I have no control over what wedding I'm asked to cover, but after I write this piece on you I won't contact you. But I know that you've been thinking about me, Olivia." He mentioned, making his way back to the seat he'd been in when she walked in.

Olivia followed him closely, taking the seat across from him. Fitz opened his bag, pulling out his laptop and a notepad. "Do you mind if I record your answers?"

"No and by the way, you couldn't have been more incorrect. I actually haven't thought about you once." She lied confidently, but Fitz saw through her.

"Fair enough." He nodded, turning on the mic of his laptop and reading off the first question from his list.

/

"You know when you're not being an asshole, you're actually pretty tolerable." Olivia mentioned. She pulled her planner from her bag to see what she had on her plate for the remainder of the day. They had just finished the sit down interview and Fitz was packing up his belongings. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to run to the restroom.

Fitz nodded, looking over his notepad. He usually recorded interviews and took handwritten notes concerning body language and times when key phrases were said. His eyes were fixed on his own scratchy handwriting, when he glanced down at the neat, color coded writing in Olivia's planner. She'd left it splayed out on the small table that sat in between them. Letting his nosy nature get the better of him, he quickly leaned forward to take a peek at her musings.

A half grin graced his face as he saw what she had planned for that night.

/

Olivia pulled out her phone, glancing around before checking the time. It was nearly 7:15 and she had been waiting patiently for the past fifteen minutes. Tonight was the night that she was supposed to meet Abby's former coworker for a blind date, a concept that Olivia had always hated. It had always seemed so desperate to sit with someone that you'd never met before in hopes of finding the one.

Just as she was about to collect her coat to go, a well dressed man made his way over to her. " Olivia?" He questioned.

She nodded, extending her hand for him to shake. "You must be Harrison."

"I am and I'm so sorry I'm late. We were having a debate in my last lecture that ran over. Poli sci students can get a little competitive." He took his seat, looking over the menu.

Olivia rolled her eyes. She could already tell that he was not her type and that the evening would go by painfully slow. "Yes, Abby tells me you're a professor at the University of Washington?"

"I am." He nodded, looking around. He held his hand up, waving over a server. "We're ready to order. I'll have the steak medium-rare, asparagus and potatoes on the side. The lady will have the Crab Louis and that'll be her last glass of wine, only water after this. Thank you."

Olivia scoffed, turning to look at the waiter. "_The lady_ will have as many glasses of wine as she like because she's grown. The lady will also be having the chicken marsala." She smiled at Harrison as she handed the menu to the red-faced server. "Thank you."

Harrison was eyeing her suspiciously, clearly wondering what he'd gotten himself into. "I was just trying to do my job as the man."

"Harrison," She started, crossing her hands in front of her. "Mr. Wright, we've just met, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and chalk this up to first date jitters. I'm also going to give you a little bit of advice. When dating women in the future, because I can assure you this is our first and last date, do not order for them, refer to them as _the lady_, or speak of your _job as the man._"

Harrison coughed into his napkin, looking around to see if anyone else had heard Olivia's speech. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom." He mumbled, walking away from the table.

Olivia rolled her eyes, pulling her phone from her clutch to text Abby and cuss her out. When she pressed the home button on she saw that she had a text from an unknown number.

_Unknown::How's the date?_

She racked her brain, trying to recall who she'd shared the news of her date with. When she couldn't come up with any results, she assumed that Abby must've told someone and added it to the list of things she'd have to speak with her about. She sighed, texting back.

_Olivia:: With whom am I speaking?_

_Unknown:: I'll give you a hint. You were screaming my name a week and a half ago…_

Olivia's eyes nearly bulged from her head, lowering her phone from anyone else's eyes. She glanced toward the bathroom, noting that Harrison had been gone for a while but shrugged the thought away.

_Olivia:: How did you get my phone number, Fitzgerald? And how did you know about my date...are you stalking me?_

_Fitz: Your business card. Your planner. No. Just wondering what chances I had of being the one who got lucky off of your date._

_Olivia:: Not in a million years. Pull this shit again and I'm backing out of your interview. Goodbye._

Harrison finally arrived back at the table after his time in the bathroom The rest of the date was awkward to say the least. Neither brought up the beginning of the date and they barely spoke. When they'd finished eating, Harrison tossed down the money and they left separately. Olivia sighed, she couldn't even be mad at Abby. She had to be the problem after so many failed dates and she had nothing to look forward to as she would have to spend the day with Fitz tomorrow.

/

"I like the brunch idea. It's different than most weddings. It suits you. I'll look into caterers and get back to" Olivia said into her phone, before it beeped, indicating that there was a call waiting. Olivia sighed switching over. She said a couple "mhmm's" into the receiver and hung up. For the first time in hours, she looked up and took note of Fitz. He'd been quietly situated in the corner of her room for nearly three hours and hadn't pissed her off once. She was shocked. He had, however, been staring at her. Even with her looking back at him, he still didn't avert his gaze.

"Everything alright over there?" She questioned slowly.

He blinked a few times nodding his head slowly. Checking his watch, Fitz began to pack up. "I think I have all I need."

Olivia took note of how slow he was moving, looking him up and down. He was either obnoxious and getting on her nerves or quiet and creepy. There was no in between. Deciding that she really didn't care that much, Olivia opened her laptop and began going through emails.

"Go out with me." His voice cut through the hair, breaking her concentration.

He was standing with his laptop under his arm and cup of coffee in his hand, his tall frame in front of the doorway. "Excuse me?" She countered. "I thought we already went over this. It was a one time thing. I don't just have sex. I date, I have relationships."

Fitz shook his head, stepping toward her desk. "That's what I'm asking. I want to uh-take you out." He cleared his throat. This was all so awkward. "I'd like to take you on a date."

Olivia smirked, lowering the screen of her laptop. "You don't seem like the relationship type…"

"I'm not! I don't know what it is about you. I feel like I'm drawn to you. I don't know the first thing about dating and I've always thought relationships were for pussies, but I don't know. It's weird- I can't explain it." He told her running his hand through his hair. "So will you?"

Olivia pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, mulling over his proposition. She eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was serious.

"Can you stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"That thing with your lip. You're teasing me. You're doing it on purpose."

She couldn't help but laugh. Even if it was a terrible date, it would be fun to mess with him. "I'll go out with you."

He smiled a lopsided grin at her, rubbing the back of his neck. For a moment, he had a boyish charm about him. Then, right before Olivia's eyes, he was back to cocky Fitz. "I knew you'd say yes." He shrugged, like it was no big deal. "I'll text you to work out the details." He told her, turning and walking to the door.

"Fitz!" She called, grabbing his attention before he left her office. "We're not having sex."

Opening the door with that same cocky grin plastered on his face, his voice dropped to a seductive whisper. "We'll see about that."

/

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I kinda lost my mojo for this story because I'm working on two others (OotB which is already posted and another that I haven't posted yet). Anyway, thanks for those who've been waiting patiently and are still interested! Y'all are the best! It's also 2 in the morning and I don't feel like reading over/editing so sorry for any mistakes!


	5. Your Friends Betrayed You

"This is Seattle, Fitzgerald!" Olivia shouted, pulling down the overhead mirror and examining herself. Her eyeliner and mascara were both smudged and her hair was half curly, half straight and a complete mess."It rains. That's all it does here. All four seasons, day and night. It rains."

Fitz was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. His lips were a straight line and he kept his eyes on the road. "I'm aware, Olivia."

She rolled her eyes, slamming the mirror back up into the top of the car. "Well, you think you would've checked the weather before taking me to an outdoor restaurant." She mumbled, looking out the window to avoid Fitz' glares.

"I apologized already. What else do you want from me or do you just like to hear yourself bitch and moan?" He grumbled, turning a corner a little faster than he should have. His car was at the end of her street and he put it in park, wanting to talk to her. To say that their date was a disaster was an understatement. They didn't even have time to eat at the restaurant because everything had gone downhill so fast.

The hostess said she had no reservation for a 'Fitzgerald Grant', but did have one for a Harold Graham. Even with Fitz explaining that the reservation was likely caused by a miscommunication, the young girl wouldn't give them the table and made them wait thirty minutes for a table to open. Once they'd been seated, they were greeted by a tall busty waitress, who had apparently had relations with Fitz. Evidently, she wasn't too happy with the fact that the man who didn't call her back was on a date with someone else and made it known. When Fitz ordered a bottle of wine for the two of them, the waitress dropped the heavy, ice-filled metal bucket on Liv's hand. While pouring the glasses for the two of them, she 'accidentally' poured a bit on to Olivia's skirt. All of which occurred before the two were drenched from the rain.

"Fitz, what are you doing?" She questioned, as the engine got quiet and he unbuckled his seatbelt to face her.

"I want to talk about tonight."

"Please just take me home." She pleaded, desperate to change from her wet clothes and get something to soothe her hand. "We're attracted to each other. That's it. Clearly, we're not meant to date."

Fitz sighed, running his fingers through his wet curls. "It was a fluke, Olivia. Can we have a re-do?"

"I'd rather not be terrorized by one of your past girlfriends, so no. The only place that'd be safe is one of our houses and I don't cook and I'm not eating anything you cook. So, no. A re-do is not happening. Now, please just take me home."

He stayed put, not putting the car in drive or making a move for the wheel. "Olivia, I don't do this. I don't date. When I do, I sure as hell don't beg." She pressed the button on the seatbelt, freeing herself. Leaning down, she slipped the heels off of her feet. "Liv, what are you doing?"

A crack of thunder filled the car, as she opened the door. Carrying her purse under her arm and her shoes in her good hand, she got out of the car. Fitz quickly got out to follow her, but she was already halfway down the street.

"Olivia, wait!" He called to her, but she didn't slow down in the slightest. Her barefeet sloshed in the rain with each step she took. Her clothes were clinging to her body, but she didn't care. She was only four houses away from her home and she just wanted to be in the warmth in cozy clothes and venting to Abby.

Fitz stopped following her, midway down the street. He could have caught her if he really wanted to, but he had something else in mind for the night that didn't consist of chasing Olivia in the rain.

/

Showered and clad in shorts and t-shirt, Olivia was officially in for the night. As she finished lotioning up, she pulled her freshly washed hair into a bun and grabbed her phone to call Abby.

"How did it go?!" She answered the phone eagerly, wanting details.

Olivia rolled her eyes, walking downstairs to find something to eat. "Abby, the date started at seven and it's barely nine. That should answer the question." She told her scouring her fridge and freezer, only to come up short. When she reached for an ice pack for her hand, she decided that ice cream would have to suffice for dinner that night.

"Really?!" Abby shrieked in her ear. "I thought you'd at least get on the train for one more ride even if the date was shitty."

"Shitty doesn't even begin to describe it." Olivia started, grabbing a spoon and carrying everything into her living room. She situated herself on the couch and began to recant the night to Abby, including every little detail.

"Barefoot in the rain?!" Abby cackled into Olivia's ear. "You always were so damn dramatic, Liv."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh at it now. She had been a bit dramatic, but she was pissed at the time and it was the first thing that had come to her mind. "What was I supposed to do, Abby?" She questioned.

"Ride the train one more time dammi-" She exclaimed as the sound of Olivia's doorbell rang through the house.

"Hold on a second, Abs." She said, quickly making her way toward the front of her house. She quickly looked through the peephole and gasped loudly when she saw Fitz on the other side. "He's here, Abby! Fitz is here!"

"Well answer it!"

"I don't have a bra on!" She shouted a little too loudly because she saw a small smirk grace Fitz' face at that moment.

"He's seen you naked, now answer the damn door! And call me tomorrow." Abby said in a single breath, before hanging up the phone and leaving Olivia with no other options.

She sighed loudly, pulling herself together and pulled the door open. There Fitz stood wearing a rain speckled outfit of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He held two large brown paper bags in his hands. He raised his brows in truce, before speaking.

"You don't cook." He started, holding up the two bags. "And we didn't get a chance to actually eat anything, so I bought takeout."

"You bought takeout?" She questioned indifferently, crossing her arms and surveying him. "After you called me a bitch?"

"I didn't call you a bitch!" He exclaimed. "I said you were _bitching_, there's a difference."

"Not really but even then, I'm just supposed to let you in after the worst date I've ever had. After your ex girlfriend attacked me. After you tried to trap me in your car?" Olivia scoffed, obviously unimpressed with Fitz. "I know that this pretty boy thing might work on every other girl out there, but I'm not them."

"I'm not asking you to marry me, Olivia. I brought you food because I fucked up our original dinner plans and I wanted to make sure you didn't starve."

"I'm a big girl, I can feed myself."

"Ice cream?" He questioned, looking past her and focusing in on the tub of chocolate chip cookie dough that sat on the table. "That's not exactly a meal."

"Ugh, fine." Olivia said, defeated as she stepped back and let him. in. "But it's just compensation. Nothing else."

A familiar smug smirk graced his face. "Nothing else."

/

The white Chinese food carryout containers and boxes seemed to be never ending. Fitz pulled item after item from the bags and laid them out across Liv's counter. Olivia's eyes scanned the assortment of food, taking in how much he'd brought. "Is someone else joining us?"

Fitz' eyes darted from the food to her and then back down. "Oh- um, no. I just didn't know what you liked, so I just got a lot." Olivia nodded, grabbing an eggroll, a container of lo mein and a pair of chopsticks and walking toward the living room.

"I don't do dishes, either." She called as she walked away. "Eat out of the boxes or don't eat at all."

Fitz nodded, grabbing two containers and joining Olivia on her couch. There was a movie on the television, but neither of them were paying attention to it. There was an awkward air around them filled with silence and quick glances. Getting fed up, Olivia sighed and sat her food down on the coffee table.

"You don't date." He shook his head, his eyes confused as to where she was going with this. "But you're a wedding columnist." He nodded, still not seeing where she was going with this.

"You don't date but here we are. You asked me out." She said again, hoping he would catch her drift. "You just a walking contradiction.

He shrugged, tossing a piece of chicken into his mouth while he mulled over his answer. "Money is money. Until I get to where I want to be, I'll keep writing bullshit stories about love even if I don't believe in it."

Her brows furrowed at his response. "Where is it you want to be?"

"I want to be a novelist, well a successful novelist." He clarified, picking through his rice. "I've written before, but it's never been published. When I have a published book, I'll leave the newspaper. Until then, it's white dresses and bouquet tosses for me."

"That explains the first part," Olivia mumbled, nodding at his admission. "but why are we here if we don't believe in love? Why would you write about something you don't know about?"

Fitz shifted on the couch to face her. He traced her face and found himself drawn to opening up to her. He couldn't figure out why, but he just felt like he had to. "I honestly don't know. I know you think everything I say is a load of bull, but there's this pull I feel when I'm around you. Anyway, this is getting heavy for a first date."

"Not a date." Olivia quipped, smirking over at him.

"Heavy for our first non-date." He confirmed, returning the same look that he was sending her.

/

"You did not!"

"I did."

"Not even underwear?"

"I was definitely free balling." Olivia shook her head at him in disbelief. "Is that so hard for you to believe?"

"No, I believe you." She chuckled out. "I just don't believe that they didn't expel you."

Fitz shrugged, reminiscing. "It was a small school, someone had to shake it up a little bit. Now you're turn: worst thing you've ever done." He countered, tossing some popcorn into his mouth.

The two had been like this for hours, now. One would ask a question or propose scenario and the other would give an answer. They were both surprised at how easy it was, how natural it felt. They'd finished off an unhealthy amount of the chinese food and had moved on to popcorn that sat in Olivia's lap. Somewhere along the line, Olivia's feet had ended up in Fitz' lap and his arms ended up across her legs.

Olivia tossed her head back, resting it on the arms of the couch as she racked her mind for the answer. "I was a goody two shoes. The worse thing I did was probably cutting class on senior skip day." Fitz groaned at her response. She tossed a few kernels of popcorn at him, laughing at his dramatics. "Pick a different question you big baby."

"Fine!" He said, getting cozy on her couch. "What made you become a wedding planner?"

Olivia coughed loudly, almost choking on her popcorn. "Different question." Fitz looked at her puzzled, wondering what could have possibly been the problem with that question. As if reading his mind, she gave an answer to his internal question. "Heavy for our first non-date." She repeated his words from earlier.

He nodded, understanding completely. "Umm..Then what did you want to be before you decided on wedding planning."

"Easy," She started eagerly, sitting up higher on the couch. "A vet because I was obsessed with puppies. I still am, but I can't even keep plants alive so a puppy would be doomed with me as an owner."

"Why'd you change your mind?"

"Well, I couldn't just be a dog vet." She stated as if he should have come to the conclusion himself.

Fitz couldn't help but laugh at her. He liked her like this, more laidback and less neurotic. She wasn't paying attention to the fabric of linens or the number of tiers on a cake. She was relaxed, but still in her element. "And then you decided on doing what you do now?" He presumed, absentmindedly drawing circles on her shins and ankles.

"And then I was lost for a bit and had no clue what I wanted to do. _Then_ I decided what I'd do." A silence fell over the two of them, this one however, wasn't awkward in the slightest. It was a comfortable quietness that held unspoken words. It was Fitz telling Olivia that he wouldn't push her spill her guts and Olivia letting him know that it was okay that he didn't know where they were heading. The quiet was filled with answers that neither could speak out loud, but both understood.

"It wasn't your fault." Olivia blurted out, breaking the silence. "The fact that our date was shitty. It wasn't your fault."

"She wasn't my ex-girlfriend." Fitz countered. "I never went out with that girl."

"You just had sex with her. It was a one night stand, like we were supposed to be."

Fitz' eyes were fixated on his hand, as it was still drawing shapes on Olivia's lower leg. "I wouldn't be here right now if we were meant to be a one night stand." His hand inched up her leg and he brought his gaze to her's. "And you were much better than her anyway."

Olivia stayed silent, daring his hand to creep higher up her leg. Fitz' cocky smirk began to play at the corners of his mouth. "This is one of two things. You either want a happy ending to this night or you want me to take you out for a real date."

Deciding to play along with Fitz, Olivia quickly placed the popcorn on her coffee table before crawling toward him. She lifted her leg up and straddled him, firmly sitting in his lap. Her lips trailed along his neck. nipping and licking. When his head fell back, she placed a long sensual kiss to his adam's apple, eliciting a moan from Fitz. She kissed up to his ear and began to whisper. "I told you we weren't having sex, pretty boy."

A low guttural groan escaped Fitz as Olivia rolled off of him, laughing like a madwoman. "Well that leaves one option. I'm taking you out again. Tomorrow."

Olivia looked at him with an egotistical smirk. "I have a wedding tomorrow. I can't go out with you tomorrow night. You shouldn't even be here now, I should be sleeping." She told him, glancing toward the clock that confirmed that they'd been up talking for hours.

"Who said anything about the night? I'm thinking two-ish." He said, returning the same look that she'd given him. He stood up and slipped his sneakers on. "And I was just on my way out."

Olivia stood up to follow him to the door, eyeing him suspiciously. When Fitz reached the door, he turned and took in Olivia's current state and he had to kiss her. Her oversized t-shirt and sleep shorts, paired with her makeup free face and the bun on top of her head just overwhelmed him. Without warning or hesitation, he bent down and connected their was short and sweet, no tongue or fondling but he had to do it.

Before he left, he bent down toward Liv's ear in a position that mirrored her's from earlier. "And next time you act like you don't want to fuck me, make sure you're wearing a bra. You have a couple friends that betrayed you, princess."

Olivia's eyes shot down toward her still erect nipples that had given her away. She immediately flung her arm up to cover them and glared as she pushed Fitz out of the door. "Goodbye, Fitzgerald!"

"Bye Livvie!" He said arrogantly, winking just as she shut the door.

/

A/N: I'm in the swing of things again and I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. I'm definitely back with this story but I can't seem to get my next chapter of OotB the way I want it, so if any of you read that, I'm sorry for the super long wait but I'll try to get it up sometime this week. Anyway the response for this story is crazy and I really appreciate it. Let me know what y'all think of this chapter!


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